“We still have it.”

This is ultimately what Mother Teresa's life announced to the world. Christians can still completely captivate the people of their time by embracing the profoundly simple teachings of Jesus in a practical way each day.

Just as the first Christians intrigued the people of their time, Mother Teresa intrigued the whole world in the last quarter of the twenty-first century. Her life announced to all men and women of goodwill, Christian and secular alike, that holiness is possible.

It has been said that people find their way to God via truth, beauty, and goodness. Why were people fascinated with Mother Teresa?

Truth. There was a foundational truth to her life that boldly reminded everyone that people were created to be loved, and that our love of others is not based on what they can do for us or what special talents they have. Rather, our love of others is based on the intrinsic value of each human being and springs from God alive within us.

Beauty. There was also a foundational beauty to her life. Her overflowing joy in the face of life's most desperate situations animated beauty in very real and tangible ways. This was especially apparent when placed side by side with the ugliness and cruelty we hear about every day in the world news.

Goodness. Her goodness became a worldwide symbol of selfless service in a culture obsessed with comfort and self-gratification.

The reason truth, beauty, and goodness are so central to our experience of God is because they are three things people never get bored with. We live in a time when people are gorging on entertainment of every type, and yet we live in an age of boredom. Hundreds of millions of people of all ages are bored.

Mother Teresa was a champion of truth, beauty, and goodness. She didn't have to wake up each day and remind herself to be so. She had a powerful set of routines and rituals that she practiced with unerring discipline. These daily routines and rituals were habits of the heart, mind, body, and soul, and they kept her grounded and focused. They reminded her of what mattered most and protected her from getting distracted, seduced, and mesmerized by shiny illusions.

What are the daily routines and rituals that keep you grounded and focused on what matters most each day? Do you notice the difference between the days when you are faithful to those habits and other days when you neglect them?



Feast Day: September 5

Feast Day Shared By: Saint Laurence Giustiniani

Patron Saint of: World Youth Day, The Missionaries of Charity, and The Archdiocese of Calcutta

Also Known As: Mother Teresa

Symbols: A Blue Ribbon

Canonized: September 4, 2016

Canonized By: Pope Francis